An anticipated rise in natural gas prices has gained considerable attention in the corporate media this fall, with numerous reports indicating that the price of natural gas may increase by as much as forty percent this winter. However, the corporate media has largely ignored the impact higher natural gas prices will have on the global south where much of the population has become heavily dependent on natural gas to synthesize nitrogen fertilizer for food production. According to a recent book by University of Manitoba professor Vaclav Smil, 40% of the protein in human bodies would not exist without the application of synthetic nitrogen to crops during the 20th century and without the use of nitrogen-based fertilizer, the planet’s currently farmed land could only support 50% of the population. As natural gas supplies dwindle due to overuse in the northern hemisphere, the continued use of gas in the north will come at the cost of lives in the south.